Tag: gaming

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Mobile Syrup

Hacker behind GTA VI hack reportedly 17-year-old from London

Last weekend, over 90 videos and images of GTA VI leaked online. The anticipated game has been in development for years, but nothing official regarding the title had been shown off yet.

Now, a 17-year-old hacker from London, U.K., known by the online handle ‘White’ and affiliated with the hacking group Lupsus$, has been arrested. London police say they arrested the hacker on September 23rd following an investigation supported by the National Crime Agency.

While the London police have yet to confirm the link to the GTA VI hack, journalist Matthew Keys recently tweeted that the arrest is “related to intrusion on Rockstar Games and possibly Uber Technologies.”

Keys says that police are expected to provide more details regarding the arrest shortly. This story will be updated when London police confirm the link to the GTA VI hack.

Though many of the leaked GTA VI clips have been pulled down, they’re still widely available on the internet and feature what seems to be an alpha build of the game. The leaks confirmed that the game will feature male and female playable characters, a Miami-like Vice City setting, and more intricate robbing mechanics.

It’s worth noting that the same hacker is also reportedly responsible for a recent cyber attack on Uber. Though an obviously serious situation, in an amusing twist, the 17-year-old hacker wouldn’t even be able to legally purchase Grand Theft Auto VI given its U.K.-based PEGI 18 rating title that requires the buyer to be 18 or older.

Lupsus$ is also responsible for hacks tied to Cisco, Samsung, Microsoft and more.

Image credit: Rockstar

Source: @CityPolice, @MatthewKeysLive Via: The Gamer 

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Mobile Syrup

Ed Sheeran teams up with The Pokémon Company on ‘Celestial’ song

Ed Sheeran has partnered with The Pokémon Company to release a new song inspired by the massively popular monster-catching franchise.

On Twitter, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter confirmed that a new Pokémon-themed single, “Celestial,” will drop on September 29th. When Sheeran collaborated with The Pokémon Company last year on a special Pokémon Go performance, it was focused on existing, non-Pokémon-related songs. “Celestial,” however, directly leans into Sheeran’s love of the series.

He briefly teased “Celestial” earlier this week in a social media video offering a glimpse at his large Pokémon plushie collection. He also got a Squirtle tattoo in celebration of the song. As one Twitter user pointed out, Sheeran has even been publicly professing his love for Pokémon since at least 2011 when he described Pokémon Black as “wicked.”

It’s unclear exactly how Pokémon will factor into the song, but Sheeran did share a doodle of himself with a Pikachu on his shoulder in his tweet. Presumably, the music video will feature Pokémon visuals and other inspired flourishes, which is what we saw in previous Pokémon collab songs from the likes of Katy Perry and Post Malone.

Outside of Sheeran’s upcoming single, The Pokémon Company is gearing up for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which will launch on the Nintendo Switch on November 18th, 2022.

Image credit: @edsheeran

Source: @edsheeran

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Mobile Syrup

Valve temporarily pausing Steam Deck order emails in Canada due to backlog

If you’re in Canada and are still waiting on a Steam Deck, we have some disappointing news for you.

Via the official Steam Deck Twitter account, Valve confirmed that Canadian orders for the portable PC have hit a bit of a snag.

“Our distributor has hit a processing backlog for orders to Canada, so folks in this region will see a (very) temporary pause on order emails,” writes Valve. “We’re working on it, and are optimistic we can resume emails to Canada soon. This doesn’t impact emails or shipments to other regions.” That said, the company noted that it still anticipates being able to fulfill all reservations before the end of the year.

In a follow-up tweet, the company clarified that it’s made this temporary pause in Canada so its distributor can make it through the backlog of paid orders here. Once that’s done, it will resume sending emails to Canadian customers.

For the uninitiated, the Steam Deck purchasing process begins by making a reservation for the system with a small deposit via Steam. Later, you’ll get an email saying “your Steam Deck is now available,” at which time you pay the remaining balance and complete the purchase. While there’s no set time frame for when you’ll get the Steam Deck shipped, people online have said it’s generally been between 10 and 14 days from purchase to actually receiving the device.

However, it’s unclear what this backlog means for Canadians who have already completed their purchase. For example, MobileSyrup contributor Andrew Mohan and I both got our availability emails on Monday, September 19th and paid off the system that same day. We’re now awaiting a shipment email. Presumably, we and others in similar situations will be safe since we’re past the reservation stage, but that remains to be seen.

We’ve reached out to Valve for confirmation on who, exactly, is affected by these delays and will update this story once a response has been received.

Source: Valve

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Mobile Syrup

Fanatical offering 14 Star Wars PC games for under $25

Online games retailer Fanatical has a big Star Wars bundle for quite a low price.

The ‘Star Wars Collection’ includes 14 games set in the galaxy far, far away for $24.19 CAD, down from the regular $109.99.

Here are the bundled games:

  • Star Wars: Battlefront II (Classic)
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars — Republic Heroes
  • Star Wars: Dark Forces
  • Star Wars Empire at War: Gold Pack
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition
  • Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
  • Star Wars Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II — The Sith Lords
  • Star Wars: Republic Commando
  • Star Wars: Starfighter

All told, there are quite a few gems in there. BioWare Edmonton’s Knights of the Old Republic is widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever made, and its sequel, as well as the likes of Battlefront II, Jedi Outcast and Republic Commando, are also especially well-regarded.

The sale runs until September 28th and will give you a code for Steam or Windows PC. It’s worth noting that the Star Wars Collection also includes a five percent off coupon towards your next Fanatical purchase.

Source: Fanatical Via: Lbabinz

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Mobile Syrup

Twitch cracks down on gambling streams, shifts monetization

Sorry xQc — it looks like Twitch is making a few changes.

The live streaming video game platform has shifted its policies regarding monetization and gambling content.

First, monetization: for the first $100,000 USD (roughly $134,634 CAD) collected via Twitch, the split remains 70 percent (the streamer) and 30 percent (Twitch). After, the split shifts to 50/50. This change won’t occur until June 2023, and Twitch says it will only affect the top 10 percent of streamers.

The current Twitch model for revenue is a 50/50 split, with bigger streamers getting the more generous 70/30 split.

The second change prohibits the streaming of gambling sites that include slots, roulette or dice games that aren’t licensed in the U.S. or other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection. Twitch will continue to allow websites that focus on sports betting, fantasy sports and poker. This change will take effect on October 18th.

One of the gambling sites included in the ban is ‘Stake.com,’ which is often featured by notable streamers like xQc (Felix Lengyel) and Trainwreck (Tyler Faraz Niknam).

Livestreaming gambling on Twitch has become a controversial topic, given how young the platform’s audience is. Earlier this week, streamer ItsSilker admitted that he defrauded hundreds of thousands of dollars from streamers to support his gambling habit with no way of paying them back. However, streamers like xQc and Ludwig (Ludwig Ahgren) have offered to pay back Twitch viewers and streamers who’ve bit scammed by Sliker.

xQc has lost more than $2 million CAD while gambling on Twitch.

Source: Twitch, (1)

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Mobile Syrup

Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond are heading to FIFA 23

Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso is coming to EA Vancouver-developed FIFA 23.

Specifically, Dani Rojas, Sam Obisanya, Roy Kent and the rest of the AFC Richmond English football club will be featured in EA Vancouver’s upcoming sports game.

EA and Warner Bros announced the crossover, and you’ll be able to even have Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) as a manager in Career Mode for AFC Richmond or on another team. You can also create your own character and join the AFC Richmond team.

FIFA 24 launches September 27th on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia and Windows PS5. EA says that specific will be available in the Series X and PS5 versions of the game.

Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, Hannah Waddingham, Jono Temple and more. The first two seasons of the show have already aired on Apple TV+, with the third season still lacking a premiere date.

Image credit: EA

Via: EA

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Mobile Syrup

Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld launching in October, will cost $400

Following a vague announcement earlier this year, Logitech and Tencent have formally unveiled the Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld.

As the name suggests, the device leverages cloud streaming technology to bring high-quality gaming experiences to a portable system. The G Cloud sports an HD 7-inch touchscreen display that supports streams of up to 1080p/60fps, as well as haptics, gyroscope and remappable controls. Logitech also claims that the G Cloud has a 12-hour battery life.

At launch, Xbox Cloud Gaming (part of Xbox Game Pass) and Nvidia’s GeForce Now will be supported. OS-wise, the device runs Android 11 with the Google Play Store pre-installed, so you can download additional apps.

That said, the G Cloud is fairly pricey. In Canada, it’s priced at $400, which is $20 more than the base Nintendo Switch and $100 shy of the base Steam Deck. Further, part of the appeal of streaming is to allow high-end games to be playable on less powerful devices. Given that services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now are already available on mobile, it might be hard to justify paying $400 for a dedicated device for them.

If you’re interested, you can pre-order the G Cloud at retailers like Amazon Canada and Best Buy Canada. The handheld will launch on October 18th.

Image credit: Logitech/Microsoft

Source: Logitech

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Mobile Syrup

Nintendo to end support for Facebook, Twitter logins in October

Nintendo has confirmed that it will end support for Facebook and Twitter logins starting October 25th.

At that time, you’ll only be able to sign in using your Nintendo account or through a linked Apple/Google account. Nintendo has a dedicated page for the discontinuation here.

Additionally, Nintendo has announced that it’s ceasing support for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U image sharing to Facebook and Twitter. This will also take place on October 25th.

Source: Nintendo

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Mobile Syrup

What’s new on Xbox Game Pass on console, PC and mobile in late September 2022

Every month, Xbox brings new titles to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

Normally, these come in two waves and now, the company has revealed what’s hitting Game Pass in the second half of September.

The highlight of this batch is Deathloop, the once-PS5-console-exclusive shooter from Bethesda’s Arkane Studios. See below for the full list:

  • Deathloop (Cloud, Xbox Series X/S and PC) — September 20th
  • Hardspace: Shipbreaker (Xbox Series X/S and PC) — September 20th
  • SpiderHeck (Console and PC) — September 22nd
  • Beacon Pines (Cloud, Console and PC) — September 22nd
  • Slime Rancher 2 (Game Preview) (Cloud, PC and Xbox Series X/S) — September 22nd
  • Moonscars (Cloud, Console and PC) — September 27th
  • Grounded – Full Release (Cloud, Console and PC) – September 27th
  • Let’s Build A Zoo (Cloud, Console and PC) — September 29th
  • Valheim (Game Preview) (PC) — September 29th
  • PAW Patrol Grand Prix (Cloud, Console and PC) — September 30th

Additionally, here are the Cloud games getting mobile-friendly Touch Controls:

  • Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony Anniversary Edition
  • Grounded — Full Release (September 27th)
  • Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered
  • Road 96
  • Shadowrun Returns
  • Shadowrun: Dragonfall
  • Shadowrun: Hong Kong
  • This War of Mine
  • Torment: Tides of Numenera

Finally, here’s what’s leaving Game Pass on September 30th:

  • AI: The Somnium Files (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Astria Ascending (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Dandy Ace (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Dirt 4 (PC) EA Play
  • Dirt Rally (PC) EA Play
  • Going Under (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Lemnis Gate (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Slime Rancher (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Subnautica: Below Zero (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • The Procession to Calvary (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Unsighted (Cloud, Console and PC)
  • Visage (Cloud, Console and PC)

As always, Game Pass subscribers can take advantage of an exclusive 20 percent discount to purchase any game in the catalogue and keep playing even after it leaves Game Pass.

Xbox Game Pass is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC and Android and iOS in beta. Game Pass for Console and PC Game Pass each cost $11.99/month.

Find out what came to Game Pass earlier this month here.

Image credit: Bethesda

Source: Xbox

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Mobile Syrup

Montreal’s EA Motive working on single-player Iron Man game

A brand-new Iron Man game is officially in development at Montreal-based EA Motive.

In a press release, EA described the game as “single-player, third-person, action-adventure” featuring an “original narrative” focused on Tony Stark and his armoured alter ego. EA has come under fire in the past for emphasizing multiplayer over single-player, so the confirmation that the currently untitled Iron Man game is a narrative-driven solo experience will certainly be reassuring for many.

Notably, the project is being overseen by executive producer Olivier Proulx, who most recently worked on Eidos Montreal’s critically-acclaimed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. However, the untitled Iron Man game is said to be in “early development,” meaning it’s likely years from an actual release.

Interestingly, we’ve never gotten a big-budget Iron Man game in the vein of Marvel’s Spider-Man or Batman: Arkham, despite the character’s massive popularity in the past 10-plus years due to Robert Downey, Jr.’s version of the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sega did release poorly received two licensed games based on the first two Iron Man films, but otherwise, the closest thing to an “Iron Man game” came in 2020’s Marvel’s Avengers.

In addition to Iron Man, Motive is working on a remake of the original Dead Space game, set for release on January 27th, 2023. The Canadian developer previously worked on 2020’s Star Wars: Squadrons and the single-player campaign for 2017’s Star Wars: Battlefront II.

Iron Man is just one of several Marvel games that are currently in development. Some of what we know about includes PlayStation-owned Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine and Uncharted creator Amy Hennig’s Captain America and Black Panther team-up title for Skydance. It’s rumoured that EA is also working on a Black Panther game, although nothing has been confirmed.

Source: EA